More than 80 people crowded into the Old Colony Historical Society on Saturday to hear Brenda Sullivan of the Gravestone Girls give her presentation on cemeteries.

The presentation, “Welcome to the Graveyard,” was co-sponsored by the OCHS and the Lydia Cobb-Quequechan (LCQ) Chapter of the Massachusetts Daughters of the American Revolution (MDAR).

“It’s wonderful to see this room filled, and it’s wonderful to see so many people give up a beautiful Saturday to hear about gravestones,” said Sheila Connolly, regent of the LCQ Chapter.

Sullivan’s presentation took viewers on a virtual tour of the history, art, symbolism and evolution of graveyards from the colonial era to present time.

Colonial era

According to Sullivan, Colonial era graveyards were usually located in the center of the community near the meetinghouse — which also served as a church.

“Initially, gravestones were very simple things. They were really just fieldstones,” said Sullivan.

These simple monuments to those who have passed included a headstone and footstone placed at the person’s head and feet. They were later rearranged in the 19th century to be more uniform and organized, according to Sullivan.

Sullivan also said that in addition to acting as a remembrance for those who passed, early gravestones were also meant to send a message to the living.

“They’re a language,” said Sullivan. “They’re meant to be an idea that, for the Puritans, this is a transient place.”

Many gravestones included a “Death’s Head” at the top — a visual depiction of the mortality of man meant to visually speak to the illiterate. Gravestones were placed next to churches to remind people to stay on the right path in life.

“This is a message board. This is the first graphic art of the New World. This is to speak to man about his mortality,” said Sullivan.

In addition to the “Death’s Head,” many colonial gravestones contained written messages related to the common Latin phrase, “memento mori” — or “remember your mortality.”

These messages included phrases such as, “Where You Are, I Once Was,” Time How Short, Eternity How Long,“ “Passenger, The righteous hath Hope in his Death,” and “I am done, a grave fear comes to an end.”

In the mid-1700s, as Enlightenment ideals took grip of colonial society, the messages became less dark and “Death’s Heads” began to transition from depictions of skulls to depictions of human and angelic faces. The hourglass also became a popular symbol to remind visitors of their mortality.

“We’re all born with an hourglass,” said Sullivan.

Revolution and Victorian eras

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“What happens in the land of the living, happens in the land of the dead,” said Sullivan, and as American society began to change, so did its graveyards.

During the American Revolution, our forefathers often looked to ancient Greek and Roman societies as the foundation for the newly forming Republic, and the revival in classical architecture carried over the gravestones as well, Sullivan said.

In this time, images of urns and trees became popular as symbols.

As society continued to evolve and Victorian ideals from England carried over into America in the 19th century, graveyards evolved as well.

It was during this Victorian era that graveyards became known as cemeteries — a Greek word for a sleeping place or dormitory, according to Sullivan.

Cemeteries also took on a rural and garden-like feel, and became a place of relaxation with nature away from the industrializing cities.

“It becomes a place akin to public parks,” said Sullivan.

These cemeteries brought tourists as well as mourners, and large, self-aggrandizing monuments became common — such as obelisks and mausoleums.

Images of death became less “hard,” as Victorians preferred to view death as a pleasant transition, according to Sullivan.

“It’s the idea that the veil between this life and the next is very thin, and there’s a pleasant transition to the next life,” said Sullivan.

“Box tombs,” table stones, and even marble chairs and beds became also became popular gravestones during this time.

Images such as books, anchors, chains and holding hands — meant to symbolize marriage and a promise to meet again — also became common during this era.

From the 1870s into the early 20th century, people also experimented with hollow, “white bronze” gravestones made from metal and meant to be longer lasting — which were actually more susceptible to damage, according to Sullivan.

“It was the idea of making something different, something modern, something beautiful and something long-lasting,” said Sullivan.

Modern cemeteries

As America entered into the 20th century, medicine and science advanced, and people were able to “cheat death” more, according to Sullivan.

“So what happens is we don’t visit (cemeteries) as much,” said Sullivan.

As a result, modern cemeteries became simple, organized and pastoral.

As modern technology such as laser etching advanced, however, many of the gravestones themselves became a way to depict the person’s life. Gravestones began to emerge with elaborate carvings of something meaningful to the person, such as an airplane, a golf course or a particular piece of scenery.

“You want to have personality. You want to be remembered even though you’re not there,” said Sullivan. “‘...This is what I want to take with me, and this is what I want to show others was a part of me.’”

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As technology continues to advance, methods of depicting a person’s life advanced, too. Gravestones with video screens began to emerge in the late 20th and early 21st century, where the deceased could leave an hour’s worth of video for the living.

“It is the ability to say what you want to say and visually be remembered,” said Sullivan.

The latest technology, according to Sullivan, involves QR codes from Memory Medallion. A QR code is a type of barcode that can be “scanned” with a smartphone and connect the user to a website.

According to Sullivan, Memory Medallion has started placing QR codes on graves, and when a visitor “scans” the code, they are taken to a memorial website for the deceased, which can contain 999 pieces of information — from pictures to videos to documents.